A year in review? Huh…that honestly seems kind of strange to write about this year, given the circumstances. 2020 has been quite the whirlwind, and not always in the most positive way. This year just seems to be so clouded by the negatives in the world. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. Our church has been struck by this, infecting our members, staff, and we mourn those who we lost along the way. We have seen the unjust deaths of black men and women this year come to center stage as racial division in our country is more prevalent then ever before. Our country recently held one of the most important elections in date, and we see that our country is more divided than it ever has been. Many people today are exuberant about the results and many people are worried and scared about what the future holds. We had to cancel holidays, birthdays, graduations, weddings, and may other events; things that we look forward to in anticipation.
So, what hope do we have going forward? What happened this year that we can cling to in positivity? Well let’s rewind to January. We held our annual Big Chill event, and it was one of our biggest in recent years. Not only did we get to play awesome games like Demolition Ball, Laser Tag, and Underground Church, but we put on a massive concert led by myself and some college students from Missouri Baptist, and 60+ students got to bring in the New Year by worshipping our Savior. In March we held our biggest DNOW weekend to date by partnering with Chesterfield Community Church and Hazelwood Baptist Church. Leon Douglas brought us the word through the story of the Prodigal Son, and the Spirit moved and won the battle, because two students that weekend dedicated their lives to Christ! Finally, while we were shut down, we had to do ministry a little different. Through our Mission Mondays, students got to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. And they got to heavily involved with our Rafters renovation project.
What hope do we have going forward? There is a new life in the Rafters. Not just because of the fresh paint on the walls, or the new logo, or fancy lights…there is a new direction. Our new mission statement of “Real Community, Real Purpose, Real God” will be the forefront of all that we do in ministry moving forward. I can’t wait to dive deeper into what that looks like in 2021 and see how God will provide for us going forward.
We live in a broken world, and it is easy to get lost in the distractions of what that looks like. However, we serve a real and living God. He has not left us, and He will walk through the storms with us. I leave you with this, 1 Corinthians 10:13 (GNT) says, “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.”